Emphasizing

10.85 You may want to emphasize the truth of your statement or to stress the seriousness of the situation you are describing. You can do this using the following sentence adjuncts:

above all actually at all believe me by all means

even for heaven's sake indeed positively really

simply so surely to put it mildly to say the least

truly without exception

Sometimes we actually dared to penetrate their territory.

Above all, do not be too proud to ask for advice.

Eight years was indeed a sport span of time.

I really am sorry.

Believe me, if you get robbed, the best thing to do is forget about it.

Note that 'indeed' is often used after complements containing 'very'.

I think she is a very stupid person indeed.

'At all' is used for emphasis in negative clauses, usually at the end.

I didn't like it at all.

I would not be at all surprised if they turned out to be the same person.

'Surely' is used when you are appealing for agreement.

Surely it is better to know the truth than to be deluded.

Here, surely, is a case for treating people as individuals.

'Even' is placed in front of a word or group to draw attention to a surprising part of what you are saying.

Even at mid-day the air was sharp and chilly.

Some men were even singing.

There was no one in the cafe, not even a waiter.

'So' is used as an emphatic introduction when agreeing or commenting.

'Derek! It's raining!'—'So it is.'

'He's very grateful!'—'So he ought to be.'

'By all means' is used for emphasis when giving permission.

If your baby likes water, by all means give it to him

'For heaven's sake' is used when making a request or asking a question.

For heaven's sake, don't pull, Chris.

What are you staring at, for heaven's sake?

emphasizing exactness 10.86 You may want to emphasize that your statement is not only generally true, but that it is true in all its details. The adverbs 'exactly', 'just', and 'precisely' are used for this.

They'd always treated her exactly as if she were their own daughter.

Their decor was exactly right.

I know just how you feel.

The peasants are weak precisely because they are poor.

Indicating the most relevant thing: focusing adverbs

10.87 If you want to indicate the most relevant thing involved in what you are saying for example the main reason for something or the main quality of something, you can use a focusing adverb.

I'm particularly interested in classical music.

They have been used in certain countries, notably in South America.

We want especially to thank the numerous friends who encouraged us.

The following adverbs can be used like this:

chiefly especially mainly

mostly notably particularly

predominantly primarily principally

specially specifically

restricting 10.88 Some focusing adverbs can be used to emphasize that only one particular thing is involved in what you are saying.

The existence of that balcony was a secret shared only by Kairi.

This is solely a matter of money.

It's a large canvas covered with just one colour.

The following adverbs can be used like this:

alone exclusively

just only

purely simply

solely

selecting 10.89 Focusing adverbs can be used to add a further piece of information with selects a particular group of people or things from a larger set. They can be used in this way with noun groups, prepositional phases, adjectives, and subordinate clauses.

I enjoy the company of young people, especially my grandchildren.

But many employers, notably in the engineering industry, are more than happy with the new system.

They were mostly professional people.

You'll enjoy it down in London, especially if you get a job.

position of focusing adverbs 10.90 In careful writing, focusing adverbs are usually put immediately in front of the word or clause element they apply to, in order to avoid ambiguity. In speech, it is usually clear from the intonation of the speaker what they apply to.

However, in many cases the focusing adverb does not necessarily focus on the word or element immediately after it. For example, in the sentence 'He mainly reads articles about mechanical things' the word 'mainly' almost certainly applies to 'about mechanical things', not to 'reads'.

Focusing adverbs are not normally used at the beginning of a sentence. However, you can use 'only' to begin a sentence when it focuses on the thing that follows it.

Only thirty-five per cent of four-year-olds get nursery education.

Only in science fiction is the topic touched on.

You can use 'just' and 'simply' at the beginning of sentences giving instructions.

Just add boiling water.

Simply remove one cube at a time.

'Alone' is always used after the element that it focuses on. 'Only' is sometimes used in this position.

It had always been felt that foster parents should make no profit—the job should be done for love alone.

They were identified by their first names only.

In informal speech and writing, other focusing adverbs are sometimes used after the element they focus on. For example, you can say 'We talked about me mostly' instead of 'We talked mostly about me'.

We have talked about France mainly.

Chocolate, particularly, is suspected of causing decay of the teeth.

In the early years, especially, a child may be afraid of many things.

This position can also be used when adding a piece of information.

He liked America, New York particularly.

She was busy writing, poetry mostly.

10.91 Some other adjuncts can be used to focus on additional information. The adverbs of degree 'largely', 'partly', and 'entirely', and adverbs of frequency such as 'usually' and 'often', can be used.

The situation had been created largely by lurid newspaper tales.

The house was cheap partly because it was falling down and partly because Seyer Street was a slum.

The females care for their young entirety by themselves.

They often fought each other, usually as a result of arguments over money.

Men from both divisions fought side by side, often for objectives they had never heard of.

The adjunct 'in particular', which has a similar meaning to 'particularly', can be used in the positions shown in the examples below.

Wednesday in particular is very busy.

Next week we shall be taking a look at education and in particular comprehensive schools.

He swore at life in general and Otto in particular.

In particular, I'm going to concentrated hydro-electricity.